UPDATE - Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades says 2 Israeli hostages were killed in Gaza airstrike

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS

By Mohamed Majid

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, said Friday that two Israeli hostages held by the group were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, southern Gaza, a few days ago.

The announcement was made through a video posted on their Telegram channel. "Your army (the Israeli army) killed two hostages in the airstrike on Rafah a few days ago,” the group said.

The Al-Qassam Brigades further accused the Israeli military and government of deceiving the Israelis, saying: “Your army deceives you and continues to deceive you.”

“Your government (the Israeli government) only wants to recover the hostages in coffins,” they added.

The group did not reveal the identities of the captives or provide any images of them.

As of yet, neither the Israeli military nor the families of the captives have issued any statements regarding Al-Qassam's announcement.

An Israeli opposition leader on Friday slammed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's policy of using force in the Gaza Strip to free hostages, accusing him of prioritizing his political interests over the lives of Israeli citizens, calling it an unrealistic approach.

"The truth must be told: The 'Iron Swords' war has no realistic goals," Yair Golan, the leader of Israel's opposition Labor Party and a former deputy chief of staff of the Israeli army, said in a statement on X, referring to Israel's ongoing brutal attacks on Gaza.

Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

Nearly 37,300 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, and over 85,100 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Eight months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio.